Leadership

By: Dave Martinez | July 10th, 2009

Grant Wahl’s new book, “The Beckham Experiment,” has been the talk of the American soccer landscape since excerpts were made available on Sports Illustrated. The picture painted was one of angst, confusion, and pain as two of the best players in the league struggled to meet eye to eye during the Galaxy’s nightmare 2008 season. Donovan, stripped of his captaincy to make room for Beckham, was looking for a lockerroom leader to keep heads up, and ambitions high. And there was no leader to be found.

Similarly, the Red Bulls have been mired by losses all season. The team has been playing behind for the better part of the campaign, and the situation just keeps getting worse and worse. Much like the Galaxy, the team has tried everything and is running out of ideas to achieve success. As Donovan alluded to, it is during these hard times that leaders are needed most.

So leadership has now become a question amongst the struggling teams fan base. The Post Soccer Blog recently interviewed a fuming Mike Petke, who shed some light on the subject.

From the Post:

“Juan Pablo leads by example. You can say whatever you want about him not scoring goals this year, but he’s a guy that leads by example,” Petke said. “If guys like Mac (Kandji) and (Matt) Mbuta followed him around the whole year and did what he did, these guys’d be superstars, or have the opportunity to be. Juan is one of the best captains I ever had.

Strong words of support from the passionate Long Islander. But Petke isn’t beloved by the fan base without reason. His ability to speak his heart has always made him a person for the team to rally around as well.

“It’s not about soccer anymore the rest of the season. Its about heart, it’s about how you want to be remembered. It’s about where you want to go as a person. Do you want to be a loser? I don’t want to be a loser,” Petke said.

If you weren’t already endeared with Petke, you will be after you take in the rest of the interview. Take a minute and click the link above.

Not to be outdone, the bastion for all things New York soccer, BAS, has an interview with Kevin Goldthwaite (another must read!).

Goldthwaite is a bit of an unsung hero around these parts. For the better part of the past two years, “Goldie” has been one of the most positive contributors to the team, but a past which included some less than inspirational play on the Bulls defensive flanks cast a shadow on his accomplishments. Slowly but surely, through his fight and determination, he has managed to earn his respect with the fan base and media. Goldthwaite has found himself in an unexpectedly natural center back role, anchoring and directing the backline, which has been under attack all season. The maturity on the field seems to be translating in the locker room.

From BAS:

“Your pride has to take over when the playoffs are out of the picture. At that point, if anyone has given up, I’ll probably be the first one to call him out on it.”

Though the season may already be a lost cause, it is good to know there are players in the locker room that still care, and believe.

The frustration is finally reaching a boiling point all around. And the muzzle on the seasons misgivings, if only for a brief moment, have been lifted. What has been revealed is a team that is at a loss for answers, with a group of leaders that are desperately trying to coral the herd and get them back on course.

This bye week may be exactly what the team needed. The schedule for this season has been a challenge in itself, featuring large clusters of time at home, but equally large clusters away. A few days off to reflect on the season, the failures experienced on their recent road trip, and the passionate words of their team leaders may do them a lot of good.

But only time will tell.

Image Credit: (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)